New Delhi: The BCCI on Tuesday emerged as the only cricket board which missed the April 25 deadline set for announcing the India squad for Champions Trophy with all the other seven countries already naming their team lists. Pakistan also named their team on Tuesday, which is officially the last day of submission of the list to the governing body of world cricket.
The BCCI which is at loggerheads with ICC on a number of issues, with the major one being the massive reduction in their share of revenue has already issued a threat of pulling out of the June1-18 event in the United Kingdom.
India are the defending champions of the tournament. However, the ICC constitution allows countries to name their squads post the deadline under certain circumstances.
As of now, BCCI is not mulling on extreme step of pulling out but obviously not naming the squad is being seen as a pressure tactic. Till late evening, the BCCI has not officially sought an extension, which many could perceive as a show of defiance.
The BCCI top brass feels that naming the India squad is a mere formality as the selectors know who are the certainties. With at least 14 of the 15 members of the Indian team more or less known, the Indian officials are in no tearing hurry.
“Tell me one thing, if we name the squad, say for example on May 5, will ICC bar us from participation. We have settled squad and naming it is a mere formality,” a top BCCI official told PTI on Tuesday.
PTI